Intersections
by theimortalone
Summary: A story about the relationship between Erika and Dwayne. All new episodes begin next week!


Big guy and rusty the boy robot: Intersections  
  
Big guy is the property of Dark horse comics and Tristar.  
  
In terms of continuity this takes place 20 years after all things big and small.  
  
Slate gets into her car and looks at Dwayne's picture. A tear rolls down her face.  
  
"I wish you were here right now." Dwayne says.  
  
She starts the car and pulls out of the parking lot. She finds herself remembering Dwayne. How they met. Their first date. Their last date.  
  
Dr. Slate is working on a program at Quarks. Somebody comes up behind her and puts his hands over her eyes.  
  
"Guess who?" The man says.  
  
"Donothan I told you to stop playing these games." Slate says.  
  
The hands pull back and Dwayne gasps.  
  
"What?" Dwayne asks.  
  
Slate spins around and laughs.  
  
"Just kidding. I had a feeling it was you." Slate says.  
  
They share a passionate kiss.  
  
"Could it be cause I told you I'd meet you here at this time?" Dwayne asks.  
  
Slate looks at he watch.  
  
"Oh my god. We were supposed to meet 20 minutes ago. I am so sorry. I was working on something." Slate says.  
  
Dwayne holds her chin up.  
  
"Don't worry. I've gotten used to that." Dwayne says smiling.  
  
"What did I ever do to deserve someone like you?" Slate asks.  
  
Dwayne kisses her on the forehead.  
  
"I ask myself the same question a lot but I try not to worry too much." Dwayne says.  
  
Slate gets up suddenly.  
  
"The movie. We better go quickly or we'll miss the best part." Slate says.  
  
"I got a better idea." Dwayne says.  
  
They both get in his car and drive to his house.  
  
"But this isn't the theater." Slate says.  
  
Dwayne opens the door for her and helps her out.  
  
"Yes it is. Welcome to cinema Dwayne. Admission and snacks are free." Dwayne says.  
  
Dwayne and Slate sit to watch an old movie.  
  
"Oh it's my favorite." Slate says.  
  
Dwayne smiles.  
  
"I know." Dwayne says.  
  
When it's over Slate looks at the clock and notices how late it is.  
  
"Oh my god. I have to be back at Quarks early tomorrow for the experiment." Slate says.  
  
She starts to get up but Dwayne holds her back.  
  
"You know my apartment is closer than yours. You wouldn't have to go as far." Dwayne says.  
  
Slate looks shocked.  
  
"What are you saying?" Slate asks.  
  
"I have a guest room. You could stay the night." Dwayne says.  
  
Slate backs up flustered.  
  
"I don't know. I mean.." Slate says.  
  
Dwayne walks up and holds her hand. Slate feels a warmth go over her like as if to say this is right.  
  
"I would love to." Slate says.  
  
That night Slate goes into Dwayne's room and kisses him on the forehead. Dwayne wakes up and smiles at her.  
  
"I was feeling lonely in there." Slate says.  
  
Slate gets in and they start to kiss passionately. The next morning Slate wakes up next to Dwayne. She smiles then looks at the clock and suddenly bolts up.  
  
"Damn I have to be there in an hour." Slate says.  
  
Dwayne reaches over and holds her hand for a brief second. She smiles at the contact.  
  
"I still have vacation. Need any company?" Dwayne says.  
  
Slate smiles.  
  
"I'd love the company." Slate says.  
  
They both hurry to get dressed. Dwayne drives to Quarks.  
  
Hour later.  
  
The experiment is about to start.  
  
"Here's hoping that in a few minutes we'll have a new power source that will change the world." Slate says.  
  
They are all carrying champagne glasses. They all make a toast. When Erika and Dwayne toast everything seems to slow down as if this moment wants to stay forever. They all down the champagne and the experiment begins. Slate keeps an eye on the readouts.  
  
"Activating Gyro." Thorton says.  
  
Inside another room a device begins to spin around. Energy begins to build up.  
  
"Energy stable. It's working." Slate says smiling.  
  
But her smile turns into a frown when the readings start going wild.  
  
"Damn. Getting an excess buildup. Overload imminent. Shut it down!" Slate yells.  
  
Thorton dives for the button to stop it but nothing happens.  
  
"It's no good. It won't stop!" Thorton yells.  
  
Dwayne's eyes go wild when he sees a strange field appear around Slate.  
  
"Erika!" Dwayne yells.  
  
He dives forward and shoves her aside. The field closes in over Dwayne and he lets out a yell before it closes completely, taking him with it.  
  
"Dwayne!" Slate yells.  
  
Everything seems to slow down around Slate, as her world seems to end.  
  
"DDDDDDDDwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyynnnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!" Slate yells slowly.  
  
One hour later.  
  
Scientists swarm the lab with scanners. One shakes his head.  
  
"I'm sorry but I am not picking up any traces of Hunter's energy. Not even residual energy. It appears that whatever took him didn't leave anything." The scientist says.  
  
But Slate doesn't hear him. She just stands there stunned. Running what happened over and over again. How she could of stopped it from happening. Soon after Dwayne is declared dead.  
  
One week later.  
  
Slate is sitting in the front during Dwayne's funeral. The soldiers lay a flag over Dwayne's coffin. Thorton stands up to a podium.  
  
"I am here with most regret to say goodbye to a great serviceman, Lt. Hunter." Thorton says.  
  
Thorton sniffs and wipes a tear from his eye.  
  
"He was a great soldier and a friend." Thorton says.  
  
Later on Slate goes up to talk but she doesn't even hear her own voice. Like it's automatic and her spirit is separated from her body. Finally the coffin is lowered into the ground. Later Thorton walks up to Slate.  
  
"I'm sorry. I know how close you too were." Thorton says.  
  
"He saved me." Slate says.  
  
"What?" Thorton asks.  
  
Slate remembers the incident once more.  
  
"He shoved me out of the way. I should have been the one to be sucked into the vortex." Slate says.  
  
Thorton just stands there no knowing what to say. Slate just leaves.  
  
That night.  
  
Slate is back in the car crying. She can barely see with all the tears. She nearly runs into a pole and stops the car. She starts hitting the steering wheel.  
  
"Damn you Dwayne. Why did you have to leave me!?" Slate yells.  
  
10 years later.  
  
Slate now in her middle ages is still working at Quarks. Whatever she is doing, she is very much into it.  
  
"Ready to activate." Slate says.  
  
She looks up and sees the same gyro in the other room.  
  
"Ready." A scientist says.  
  
"Activate." Slate says.  
  
The gyro begins to spin again and an energy buildup begins once more.  
  
"Come on Dwayne. Come back to me." Slate says.  
  
But nothing happens. The energy field is formed inside the room like it was supposed to but no Dwayne.  
  
"Shut it down." Slate says disappointed.  
  
"Sorry." The scientist says.  
  
Slate sighs.  
  
"It's okay. I thought if I tried it again that he would come back." Slate says.  
  
She remembers how the project was shut down cause of the danger. It took her years to convince them to let her try again. For Dwayne's sake.  
  
"I'm sorry but we can't fund the project after it took the life of somebody." A man tells Slate years ago.  
  
Slate frowns.  
  
"Please. I know he's still alive. Maybe he was sucked into another reality or something. If we don't try then we'll never know." Slate pleads.  
  
"I'm sorry." The man says.  
  
She remembers how she spent the next 10 years going between trying to find investors and trying to find a way herself. That night she lies in bed looking at the ceiling.  
  
"Please come back." Slate says sadly.  
  
She closes her eyes. Suddenly a light appears and Dwayne appears inside the light. He hasn't aged a bit since he disappeared 10 years ago. Slate opens up her eyes and gasps.  
  
"Dwayne!" Slate yells.  
  
She jumps up from the bed and rushes to hug him but her hands pass right through her. She spins around and looks at Dwayne. He is barely moving and seems scared.  
  
"Dwayne?" Slate asks.  
  
Dwayne opens his mouth and says something silently then suddenly disappears.  
  
"Dwayne!" Slate yells.  
  
She turns on the lights and looks around for any trace that what she just saw wasn't a dream. She accesses her data panel.  
  
"Computer does a scan of the area 2 feet in front of my bed. Scan for any abnormalities or strange particles." Slate says.  
  
The computer comes to life and does the scan. It reports back that tachyon particles are found.  
  
"Tachyon?" Slate asks.  
  
The next morning she returns to work with the data. She shows it to a fellow worker.  
  
"Tachyon? Those have been known to be involved in time travel. Where did you get these readings?" The worker asks.  
  
"I got them in my room last night. I saw an.apparition in my room." Slate says deliberately withholding what she saw specifically.  
  
"Hmm I have never heard of tachyon's being involved with ghosts." The worker says.  
  
Slate finally goes to talk to Thorton.  
  
"I told you that he wasn't dead. These scans prove it. He must be in some kind of a time distortion. He got kicked back into time last night and then back out." Slate says.  
  
Thorton looks skeptical.  
  
"There was abnormal readings all over the city. This could be nothing. You could of dreamed seeing him." Thorton says.  
  
Slate shakes her head.  
  
"I didn't dream it. I saw him. He hadn't aged at all since he disappeared that day." Slate says.  
  
Thorton frowns.  
  
"What do you want me to do?" Thorton asks.  
  
"For one thing declare that he isn't dead and bring an investigation. I think detailed scans of the experiment area should be made as well as my apartment." Slate says.  
  
Thorton sighs.  
  
"Okay for you. Anybody else and I'd say no. But this better not be a waste of my time the military's resources." Thorton says.  
  
The investigation happens but nothing is found and Slate doesn't see Dwayne again for 10 more years.  
  
10 years later.  
  
Slate is sitting in her place. She is now in her 60's and is aging quite well. She is writing in an electronic journal.  
  
"It has been 20 years now since I last saw Dwayne. Even after seeing him briefly 10 years ago I have almost given up all hope. Even in retirement I still have some hope that I will see him again. Even in death." Slate says.  
  
She suddenly feels short of breath and steadies herself. She collapses on the floor. Her monitor automatically calls for help and she is taken to the hospital. She is successfully resuscitated but is kept at the hospital for observation. The doctor finally arrives to see her.  
  
"So what's the bad news?" Slate asks.  
  
"Why do you think its bad news?" The doctor asks.  
  
Slate smiles.  
  
"Oh come on. I've been living a life of stress and little time to rest. It was bound to happen to have a stress related heart attack." Slate responds.  
  
"Well you did have a heart attack but it was a minor one and nothing to worry about." The doctor says.  
  
The doctor takes her blood pressure and runs some other tests. Then he leaves her to be. Slate looks over and sees flowers with legs entering the room. Suddenly the flowers drop down.  
  
"Surprise!" Melissa says.  
  
"Please. I just had a heart attack you know." Slate says smiling.  
  
Melissa puts the flowers down on the table next to Slate's bed.  
  
"I know what the real problem is." Melissa says.  
  
Slate frowns.  
  
"Oh?" Slate asks.  
  
"Yeah you are too loving. Your heart can't take it all." Melissa says in kid.  
  
Slate laughs.  
  
"That's it. Laughter heals you know." Melissa says.  
  
Melissa sits and visits until visiting hours are up.  
  
"I'll be back tomorrow to see if they are ready to spring you." Melissa says smiling.  
  
Slate eats her dinner and soon it's time for lights out and sleeping. She feels her eyelids getting heavy, as she is ready to sleep. Before she can though a bright light startles her. Dwayne reappears in the light.  
  
"Dwayne!" Slate yells.  
  
She jumps out of bed and tries once again to touch him but she passes right through him  
  
She turns around.  
  
"I miss you." Slate says.  
  
Dwayne mouths something. He doesn't seem as scared this time. Slate notices that he still hasn't aged.  
  
The light starts to fade and Dwayne looks scared. He mouths out the word help before he disappears.  
  
"Dwayne!" Slate yells.  
  
A doctor shows up and puts her back in bed. He gives her a sedative to help her get to bed.  
  
"Dwayne." Slate calls out quietly.  
  
Slate has dreams about Dwayne appearing. She tries to grab him but he disappears and then reappears somewhere else. Every time she tires he disappears and reappears again somewhere else.  
  
"Please Dwayne. I miss you." Slate says.  
  
She sits down and cries. She feels like giving up. Suddenly Dwayne steps out of the light and grabs her hand. Slate looks up and gasps.  
  
"Like a butterfly." Slate says.  
  
10 years later..  
  
Slate is in the hospital once more. She is very old looking now and has white hair. The doctor walks in.  
  
"What's the bad news?" Slate asks.  
  
"You know you have asked the question every time?" The Doctor responds.  
  
"I know that when I have 4 heart attacks in 10 years that it can't be good." Slate says.  
  
The doctor looks at her charts.  
  
"Well the good news is that you are one of the very few people to survive that. The bad news is that they have taken their toll. Your heart is very weak and won't last very long. Normally we would do a transplant but with your advanced age there wouldn't be much point." The doctor says.  
  
"I guess she was right. I had too much love to give." Slate smiles.  
  
Suddenly a couple of kids rush into the room.  
  
"Aunty Slate!" The kids yell.  
  
The doctor smiles and leaves them alone.  
  
"Where's mommy?" Slate asks.  
  
"Right here." A voice says.  
  
Slate looks up and sees her niece. One of the kids starts fooling around with the bed controls.  
  
"Now don't fool with that." The niece says.  
  
Slate smiles. Slate yawns and feels tired.  
  
"Aunty Slate needs her rest. You can see her tomorrow." The niece says.  
  
The kids rush out excitedly. Slate closes her eyes and goes to sleep. She is woken by the familiar light. She opens her eyes and smiles, knowing what to expect. Dwayne looks at her worried. Slate is too weak to get up but she knows that it won't do any good. She weakly raises her hand up. She feels her heartbeat slowing to a stop and her life slipping away.  
  
"I love you." Slate says.  
  
Her eyes close and she goes limp. Suddenly Dwayne steps out of the light and grabs Slate's hand. Suddenly everything reverts back to the point 30 years ago.  
  
The experiment is about to start.  
  
"Here's hoping that in a few minutes we'll have a new power source that will change the world." Slate says.  
  
They are all carrying champagne glasses. They all make a toast. When Erika and Dwayne toast everything seems to slow down as if this moment wants to stay forever. They all down the champagne and the experiment begins. Slate keeps an eye on the readouts.  
  
"Activating Gyro." Thorton says.  
  
Inside another room a device begins to spin around. Energy begins to build up.  
  
"Energy stable. It's working." Slate says smiling.  
  
Slate frowns. Suddenly she jumps out of the way just as a strange hole appears.  
  
"Shut it down!" Slate yells.  
  
After some work they are able to shut it down and the hole disappears.  
  
"What went wrong?" Thorton asks.  
  
Slate stands there confused. Her memories are clouded with another reality where things went differently. As time passes those memories fade and cease to exist. That night Dwayne and Erika have dinner together.  
  
"I realized tonight how close I came to losing you. If you hadn't jumped out of the way before that hole appeared." Dwayne says.  
  
Slate smiles. Dwayne holds her hand. He takes out a small box and Slate gasps.  
  
"I went and got it tonight. I want to make every moment with you count." Dwayne says.  
  
He opens up the box and inside is a beautiful diamond ring.  
  
"Will you marry me?" Dwayne asks.  
  
"Yes!" Slate answers.  
  
They kiss passionately.  
  
30 years later.  
  
Slate is in the hospital and Dwayne is standing next to her. They are both very elderly.  
  
"Don't listen to anything that doctor says. You are going to live forever." Dwayne says smiling.  
  
A couple of kids rush inside.  
  
"Grandma!" The kids yell.  
  
"Where's mommy?" Slate asks.  
  
"Right here." A voice says.  
  
Slate and Dwayne look up and smile to see their daughter. Dwayne hugs the kids and goes over to hug his daughter.  
  
Their daughter looks worried Slate. After spending an hour the grandkids and daughter leave.  
  
"I'll be back tomorrow." The daughter says.  
  
Slate smiles and feels her eyelids grow heavy. She feels her heart start to slow down and stop. Her life draining away. Dwayne looks down and gasps.  
  
"No please don't go. I don't want to lose you." Dwayne says.  
  
Slate tries to answer but can't get the energy. She smiles and mouths the words I love you. She then goes limp and Dwayne starts crying over her.  
  
50 years earlier.  
  
Slate arrives at her new job. She walks in excited at the new possibilities. She is surprised to see some military personal waiting for her. Including a general.  
  
"Hello. I'm General Thorton. We have heard of your expertise. The military wants quarks to build a better robot. One that doesn't require a pilot. We believe that you can help make is possible." Thorton says.  
  
Another scientist humphs.  
  
"I don't need anybody else. I can do just fine myself." The man says.  
  
"Yeah right. You need help opening a can." A small monkey on his shoulder says.  
  
Thorton points to another man. A Lieutenant. Something about him clicks inside her head.  
  
"This is Lieutenant Hunter. He is one of our better pilots and soldiers." Thorton says.  
  
Lt. Hunter says reaches out for her hand.  
  
"Nice to meet you." Lt. Hunter says.  
  
Slate grasps his hand and feels a connection immediately.  
  
"Maybe we'll end up working together sometime." Lt. Hunter says.  
  
Intersections 


End file.
